Friday, November 01, 2013

Chaudiere Books: our rebuilding year,

Since
Ottawa literary publisher Chaudiere Books was founded by Jennifer Mulligan and
rob mclennan in 2006 the press has produced an impressive thirteen titles of
poetry and fiction (including a couple of anthologies) by writers both emerging
and established. Originally founded in part to advocate for the enormous amount
of literary activity around Ottawa, Chaudiere has produced single-author titles
by a number of locally-based writers including Nicholas Lea, John Newlove, Anne
Le Dressay, Monty Reid, Pearl Pirie, Marcus McCann, and Clare Latremouille. Attempting
to engage Ottawa writers in a conversation with writers across Canada, the
press has also produced works by Meghan Jackson, Michael Bryson, and Joe
Blades. Unfortunately, due to a series of life events and sundry other things,
the press has been unable to keep to a regular schedule since 2010.

Co-founder
Jennifer Mulligan officially left the press earlier this year to focus on her
work in film and Ottawa poet, designer, and book conservator Christine McNair
has stepped in to fill the role of co-publisher. With the assistance of Monique
Desnoyers (web designer) and Stephen Brockwell (sage advice); we've been
enormously busy over the past few months (apart from the fact that McNair and
mclennan are expecting a child any day now) working towards a return to a
proper publishing schedule, beginning with the publication of our first new
title in December.

This
is a rebuilding year for Chaudiere Books, and we will be announcing an
Indiegogo Campaign in January 2014 which will feature a whole slew of incentives
from our backlist; new and old limited edition rarities from writers both new
and established; and a few surprises. The campaign will coincide with
announcements of forthcoming titles and launches in 2014.

The
first title of the official Chaudiere Books re-launch is Ground Rules: the best of the second decade of above/ground press
2003-2013, edited by rob mclennan with an introduction by Gil McElroy. In
many ways, Chaudiere Books has always been the trade extension of the chapbook
publisher above/ground press and this title cements and even clarifies the
associations between the two presses.

“Working out of Ottawa, poet and publisher rob
mclennan's baby, above/ground press, marks a second decade of the production of
broadsheets, chapbooks, magazines, and anthologies that trace out the best
shapes of the best of contemporary Canadian (and, increasingly, international)
poetry. From the span of that second ten of years, he has compiled this book of
traceries: a selection of work by writers ranging from the likes of the late
Artie Gold, and Robert Kroetsch, to the living Derek Beaulieu, Rachel Zolf,
Eric Folsom, Natalie Simpson, etc., all collected here as representative of a
decade’s aesthetic count.”

from Gil McElroy's
“Introduction: An Integral”

The
Ottawa launch of Ground Rules is
scheduled for Saturday, December 7th 2013 at The Manx Pub and is sponsored by
the Ottawa International Writers Festival. Lovingly hosted by rob mclennan, the
event will feature readings by three of the book’s contributors (to be announced
over the next couple of days). Watch for details via the Chaudiere Books blog, as
well as our Facebook page!